1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a system and method for predicting failure. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and method for monitoring a frequency generator connected to a constant reference voltage source and determining from the changes of the frequency when a failure condition will occur.
2. Description of the Related Art
Integrated circuit reliability has always been important. However it is difficult to predict the failure of an integrated circuit. Obviously, in highly reliable systems, being able to project the failure of components is important.
Power supplies have always been considered critical components electronic systems. Failure of a power supply often means failure of the entire system. Therefore maintaining the reliability of a power supply is very important to ensure were liable system operation. Reliability of power supplies becomes even more important in low-power electronics systems since monitoring and replacing power supplies is not practical. In the past, in order to make power supplies more reliable, a common technique was to over design the power supply. In other words, provide more capability than is required by the system. With the advancements in integrated circuit technology, it is possible to provide multiple power supplies on a single integrated circuit providing power to functional sections of this integrated circuit. Therefore it would be desirable to have a means to monitor the performance of these power supplies in order to properly maintain the electronic systems.